General Question

futurelaker88's avatar

What does "continental" mean in relation to shipping methods for online orders?

Asked by futurelaker88 (1600points) May 17th, 2009

i placed an order for 2nd day air, and i clicked “continental” because the other options were P.O. Box, and something else that didnt have to do with residential (which is what the order IS) so i clicked continental….is that worse in any way? lol did i extend delivery by doing so? does anybody know?

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5 Answers

Darwin's avatar

Is it going from Britain to Europe? Or not going to Hawaii? I’ll be interested in seeing what others say.

futurelaker88's avatar

@Darwin its going from MA to NJ lol. all in US, a couple states away.

futurelaker88's avatar

@bob_ – i know what the term “continental” standing by itself means. The question is what does the term mean in relation to shipping an item. EVERYwhere is a continent!

Kayak8's avatar

If you live in the United States, continental typically means it is being shipped between two states neither of which is Alaska or Hawaii. In other words, it is being shipped between two states that both exist on the continent and are contiguous to other US states.

So, for a package going from MA to NJ, both of which are within the continental US, the choice you made should be fine (and your package may have already arrived). I am surprised that continental was in a list of choices that included PO Box. Typically, the point of designating a shipment to a PO Box is an indication to the company that weekend delivery will not be an effective choice (they can’t get to the boxes if the post office is closed). If one is shipping “overnight,” there are also limits on delivery to a PO Box and a street address is often required (whether to a residence or to a business).

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